THE CHRISTIAN PILGRIME IN HIS Spirituall CONFLICT And CONQVEST AT PARIS M.DC.LII APPROBATIO UTI finis Praecepti it a Consilii Charitas de corde puro Conscientia bona et Fide non ficta Ad quam cum facilitate assequendam securius retinendam compendiosam Regiam viam sternunt Documenta quae in hoc libro cujus Titulus est The Christian Pilgrim in his spirituall Conflict and Conquest continentur quia in illo nil Fidei Catholicae repugnans aut bonis moribus contradicens invenitur sed Doctrina pia sana solida ad quam legendam sequendam omnes qui repleri consolatione superabundare gaudio fervere spiritu crebro suspicere in Caelum puras manus in oratione levare suas solicite observare conscientias Sanctorum sequi Vestigia cupiunt sunt invitandi Datum Duaci Januarii 17. anno 1652. Stilo Novo Fra RUDESINDUS BARLO Sacrae Theologiae Doctor Professor in Collegio Vedastino Duaceno The same Approbation Englished THE End of the Counsell as well as of the Commandement is Charitie out of a pure Heart of a good Conscience of Faith unfeigned Which to obtain with facility and retain with security the Documents contained in this book intituled The Christian Pilgrim in his Spiritual Conflict and Conquest Shew a plain and compendious way For therein nothing is found dissonant to our Catholique Faith or repugnant to Piety but a holy sound and solid Doctrine To the perusall and practise whereof all they are invited who desire to be replenished with comfort to overflow with joy to be fervent in Spirit to aspire frequently towards Heaven to lift up pure hands in prayer to preserve their Conscâ—ences unspotted and to follow the steps of the holy Saints Given at Doway January the seventeenth 1652. Stilo novo Br RUDESIND BARLO Doctor and Professor of Divinity in the Vedastin College Doway 1 Pet. 5. 8. Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the Devill as a roaring Lion walkes about seekâ—ng whom he may devour whom resist stedfast in Faith THE SPIRITVAL CONFLICT OR The ARRAIGNMENT of the Spirit of Selfe-love and Sensuality at the Barre of Truth and Reason First published in Spanish by the Reverend Father John Castaâ—iza a Benedictin Monk of ON A Afterwards put into the Latine Italian German French and now lastly into the English Tongue according to the Originall Copy With many profitable Additions and Explications The Second Edition Job 7. 1. Mans Life is a Warfare upon Earth AT PARIS M.DC.LII Ephesians 6. 10 11. MY brethren be strong in our Lord and in the power of his might Put on the Armour of God that you may be able to stand against the Wiles of the Devill James 4. 7. Be subject to God resist the Devill and he will flee from you Matth. 26. 41. Mark 13. 38. Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation 1. Cor. 16. 13. Stand fast in Faith quit you like men be strong c. Hee shall not be crowned who fights not valiantly 2. Tim. 2. 5. A Lively pourtraict of the Spirituall Conflict To the right Reverend Fathers Religious Dames and devout Brothers and Sisters of the holy Order of Saint BENNET THIS little book is presented unto You not because the Translator follows the epidemick custome which enforceth the complement of a Dedication or expects any return of temporal profit from you or stoops you to so low a Patronage as to become Gossipps to this adopted child which are the vulgar ends of almost all presents of this nature wherby the Receivers are rather engaged than gratified But meerly as an humble oblation of Filial duty and respect For he pretends not to cast in his mite or bring a gift to your spirituall treasury but only to pay a little parcell of his larger debt and to give you an account of some houres of his time which he acknowledgeth should be all employed in your service Besides he but restores unto you what was your own before by another and a nearer title of Confraternity and only new cloath's a Spanish Monk of St. Bennet's holy Order with your English habit a thing both usuall and hitherto very succesfull unto you hoping thereby to make him the better welcome and not doubting but he will speedily easily and efficaciously insinuate himself into your affections whose dayly practices have so great sympathy with his divine doctrine For what are or surely should be the continuall endeavours of a true Benedictin Monk and indeed of all devout Christians but to quell and conquer the world the flesh and the Devill according to the Principles of Truth to subdue sense to reason to make his very passions by taming them usefull and his affections by fixing them upon the right object instrumentall to the attaining of perfection and to study self-knowledg practice self-hatred and persevere in self deniall that God may be the sole possessor of his heart the only mover of his affections and the all ruler in his whole man having now no self-will left to hinder his holy operation And this is the only drift of this devout Treatise which may therefore fully serve you and all pious Pilgrims travelling to their heavenly home for a clear glass wherein you may see your own souls without flattery discover your spirituall blemishes without partiality learn the rare secret of rooting out vices implanting vertues improving all accidents to your best profit and trimming up your interiours to your highest advantage for the sweet entertainment of your beloved Spouse without overmuch pains or prolixity You are I say to look upon this small book as upon a Compendious summary of Christian perfection or as a little store-house well fraught with the Originall seeds and simples of all spirituality from whence other devout druggists cunning in compositions have since furnish'd their larger shops and extracted many ample and indeed some excellent volumes But because Art is long Life short and this life is lent us to learn the Art of living well what pity is it that our lives should be more spent in reading than profiting that men should take more delight in writing than instructing and that we must be forc'd to seek a few precepts in many sheets which may be plainly set down in a few pages Yet such is the strange itch of writers now a days that the number of books which are extant upon all subjects seems to exceed that of the readers whose arms may be as well tired in turning over the vast multitude of volumes as their brains confounded in studying them So that it were to be heartily wished that that grave * S. Thomas of Aquin who being asked which was the speediest and best way to become learned Answered To read only one Book Doctors advice were now revived and followed by spirituall persons which is That they would only or at least chiefly betake themselves to the serious perusall of some one good Authour for their Guide Governor and
Surely the proud have no true Isay 48. 2â— rest there is no peace to the wicked Let us Remedy it therfore by learning of Christ true humility and meekness out of which there is no hope of quiet 5. An indiscreet Zeal and 5. Indiscreet zeal over-greediness of perfection which makes us eat more than we can disgest and so cast it up again with great pain undertaking austerities exercises introversion c. beyond our capacities without counsel and so we remain afflicted being unable to go forward and ashamed to go backward Let us Remedy this by humble obedience to a discreet guide 6. Want of fervor in our vocation 6. Instability of heart instability of heart and inconstancy in our exercises leaving changing interrupting them through laziness or lightness This leaves a worm gnawing upon our conscience with continual disquiet and sadness Let us Remedy this with S. Bernards counsel Wilt thou never S. Bernard be sad live well A good man is alwayes merry and a good conscience is a continuall feast 7. Disordinate love and affections 7. Love to creatures to creatures Let us love all only for God and we shall be content and quiet in the loss of the most lovely and beloved creature in the world God alone will supply all other loves and losses 8. A jealous and envious eye 8. An enviâ—us eye This is a dangerous and lamentable cross For all the Perfections of oâ—hers are ours when we love them â—n others but when we hate them they are nails in our eys and thorns in our hearts which do extreamly torment us O madness Have we Parum tibi est si ipse sis foelix nisi alter sit infoelix not sufficient miseries at home in our selves but we must suck poyson like Spiders out of others Hony and what is their crown must be our cross What greater wickedness than to pine away with grief at others good The Remedy of this is by endeavouring to get true Charity the property whereof is to weep with the weepers rejoyce with the joyfull to love others good as our own Let us avoid Curiosity if we wil eschew Envy for a Curious eye is the fewel of an Envious heart let us remain like Bees in our hive of Introversion there make provision for the Winter of Death Eternity c. 9. Frequent failings in good 9. Frequent relapses purposes and relapses into sin We question whether our sins past are pardoned and are uncertain that our present Confessions are good This is of one evil to make two foâ— we have done amiss and now by losing Courage and confidence we make our selves unfit to do better Let us Remedy it by acknowledging our fault using violence to our selves and following direction Other Remedies against Sadness Orher Remedies against sadness Jam. 5. 13. 1. Prayer 1. Prayer is a soveraign Remedy Is any one sad amongst you Let him pray God is our only joy and comfort Let us lift up our hearts to him and lay open our wants and desires before him with Resignation who both can and will abundantly comfort us Ah! my poor soul why art thou sad and whence comes it that thou thus troublest me Is not our God good and gracious who hears thy sighs and sees thy sorrow what wantest thou which he cannot or will not give thee when he sees it most expedient for thee 2. Somtimes let us sing spiritual 2. Singing Songs which greatly confound the Devil 3. Other times we may fitly divert 3. Recreâ—tion our thoughts by some external Recreations or imployments 4. Let us endeavour to make 4. Fervent acts external and internal Acts with fervour though without gust as embracing and kissing a Crucifix and speaking reverently and lovingly unto it c. 5. A discreet taking of a Discipline 5. A discipline obtains wonderful comfort for the soul is called from the inward troublesom pensiveness to the outward pain and the Devil flyes away seeing his companion the Flesh so hardly handled 6. Frequent Communinn is an 6. Communion excellent cordiall strengthning our hearts and rejoycing our spirits 7. Let us discover the effects 7. Discovery of it and manner of our sadness to our spiritual guide and take his advice simply and humbly This is the remedy of remedies 8. Let us take heed of making 8. Indifferency use of these Remedies only that we may be at ease and avoid affliction but for the prevention of danger which may ensue and for the rest remain perfectly indifferent and resigned 9. If we will be free from Sadness 9. Few desires we must labour to keep far from us unquietness of mind if we wâ—ll have our minds quiet we must have few desires and those few only to love and please God 10. Finally let us beware of 10. Plain-dealing three things 1. Of following our Sensuality in meat drink talk ease c. 2. Of vain Complacence and self-opinion c. 3. And above all of Hypocondriacy Hypocrisy double dealing sleights with our guide for no mervail if he starves and pines away who lâ—es to the holy Ghost If we are simple as children our loving Father will give us sweet-meats Wo be to Hypocrites for it Mat. 23. 13. wil go il with them in the latter day Another Antidote against Melancholy and Pusillanimity The reason of our being so often Pufillanimity proceeâ—s from want troubled and shaken is because our spiritual edifice is not supported by these solid props 1. Faith For if we captivate 1. of Faith our Understandings to believe what God himself hath told us what his Church hath taught us and what our ghostly guides still preach unto us how can we chose but be comforted and satisfied 2. Abnegation For if we have 2. Of Abnegation made good Confessions have endeavoured to satisfy God and our guide and have a will to obey them in all things we may rest secure Let us not say What shall become of us Shall we persever for the desire to know this argues our hearts of secret pride and propriety Let us therefore deny our selves saying Gods holy will be done in and with us for all time and eternity and what ever becomes of us we will serve him till death because his love deserves it What need we seek a further security of Gods friendship towards us in this life than to find in our souls these two things First for the time past we have done penance consisting in Confession Contrition and Satisfaction Secondly for the time to come we give our selves totally tâ— God to serve and please him the residue of our life in the best manner possible Let us put our souls in this estate and go on with courage and never more trouble our selves 3. Solid Confidence For if we 3. of Confidence know God is mercifull and Jesus hath suffered enough for all sinners whereof we are the
abhominable Prov. 17. 15. in his sight who said Not every one that crys Lord Lord shall enter into my Kingdome but Mat. 7. 25. he that doth my Will c. The 20. Doubt If wee find such a calm in our Passions imperfections and temptations that wee hope the worst is past LEt us never flatter our selves Read the Conflict ch 20. with such fancies or admit the least conceit that we have intirely conquered any one passion or imperfection but humbly vigorously and constantly keeping on in our track of Mortification Recollection Introversion think that these calms comforts and Time videre unde possis cadere Noli fieri perversa simplicitate securus S. August cessations are sent us as hony-sops and milk for children because we are yet weak and want courage to encounter such stronger Temptations wherewith others are tried And that our Loving Lord communicates these his favours and friendships unto us not as best meriting them but most needing them The 21. Doubt If Scrupulosity overwhelms us AS Carelesness is a dangerous impediment of Perfection when one shall say This is not Mortal this is but a Counsell not a Precept this of Perfection not of Obligation For whosoever will obtain the true Spirit of Devotion and Recollection must be far from this opinion So Scrupulosity is another extream equally hindring our spirituall progress and hurting more than sin it self For this trouble of Spirit takes The danger of scrupulosity away all internall strength comfort and courage of well-doing and makes us slide insensibly into Despair of doing better till at length we give up all and either pine away in these melancholy and desperate thoughts or else yeeld our selves to Pleasure and Sensuality and sometimes to the Devill himself to find some means of solace and satisfaction Beleeve it inordinate Fear Sadness and Scrupulosity will soon bring a soul into a laberinth of miseries and a hell of mischiefs and therefore she must speedily get Confidence in Confidence in Gods mercy is the remedy Gods mercy and raise up her self to Alacrity of mind or she will never be able to overcome her difficulties nor persever long in Spirit The way to get this Confidence and Joy is briefly this The means to get this confidence 1. To Trust and Obey her discreet guide who is to assign her a set form of Confession for once a week 2. He must be resolute and rigorous taking all upon his own conscience if she promise faithfully to obey him 3. He must assure her that she more offends in want of Confidence and Obedience than in all other sins and that if shâ—â— will not beleeve this her disease is incurable This is the short and safe cure of tbis dangerous Disease but that we may better understand the nature of our malady Let us Note Seven sorts of Consciences 1. A cauteriz'd corrupted large 7. Sorts of Consciences and libertine Conscience making scruple of nothing but swallowing down all things 2. A chiverell Conscience stretching to all and caring for nothing but to avoid great and grievous sins 3. A quiet Conscience yet not good because they take occasion to sin out of a confidence in Gods goodness and hope of his mery 4. A troubled Conscience but not good for want of confidence 5. A troubled and also a good Conscience yet weak of those who being newly converted to God lament their past life with bitter tears and yet are full of rebellious passions c. 6. A good quiet and confident Conscience of those who are carefull to please God to avoid all sin to be beneficiall to all burthensome to none making use of friends by favour foes by patience and all men by good will c. 7. An erroneous timorous and scrupulous Conscience making doubts and difficulties of all things So that there are generally speaking 2. Sorts of bad consciences two sorts of bad Consciences The one too large calling good evill and evill good The other too narrow finding sin where there is none and taking imaginations for offences and shadows for substances The first of these Consciences 1. Over large Whâ—ch must be cured by removing the causes 1 Cor. 14. 38. which is over large must be cured by removing the causes which are generally four 1. Negligence to learn what belongs to our Religion vocation profession obligation and salvation for who so knows not what he is bound to know shall not be known by God 2. Pride and shame to ask and inform our selves 3. Obstinacy and presumption when we will trust to our own judgements and abilities and not submit to our betters 4. Bad affections and perverse wils led by passion and blinded with self-love from seeing the truth These have one foot already in hell which they must pluck out by violence using the contrary remedies The Second Conscience which 2. Over-strait which must also be cured by the removall of the causes is over-strait and scrupulous may be also cured by the removall of the causes which may be reduced to these 1. A fearfull nature coming from aboundance of cold here is need of a twofold Physitian One for the Body to prescribe them good diet The other for the Soul to confirm them in Hope by the consideration of Gods mercy Christs merits Scriptures promises Superiors warrants c. 2. Some infirmity or sickness as Mania which hurts the forepart of the head and diminishes the Imagination Melancholy which infects the middle part and diminisheth Reason Phrensy which seizeth on the purses or nets of the brain which are the cells of Judgement This cause hath need of the like cure 3. The Devill by Gods permission for divers causes This is cured by not caring what humour we are in but to endeavour with courage and confidence to please God whether we are sad or merry fervent or desolate making use of Prayer and Counsell 4. An indiscreet and preposterous treating of our bodies The way to cure this is to follow the rules of Discretion and to find out their own strength and complexion yet still taking heed of the contrary extremity of flattering our sensuality under pretence of spirituality 5. The keeping company with scrupulous persons or misunderstanding some Spirituall Books Remedy this by shunning such Company laying aside such Books and obtaining from your Director a Rule to rely upon and beleeving nothing against that 6. A secret and subtill Self-love and Pride under the counterfeit mask of fear and care of our souls Against which we must submit our judgment to Obâ—dience for we are all blind in our own cause and this is not only the best but even the necessary Remedy for such as are particularly bound to Obedience 7. Ignorance of the mysteris of our faith and of Gods mercy which makes us think our obligation greater than indeed it is God more severe than he is and his yoak more heavy than it is Which to Remedy we must see and consider
wherein we judge amiss and whereupon wee ground our particular fears for that is the easiest way to remove them 8. Let us weigh the vertue of the Physick The vertue of the Physick which must cure us which must cure our Disease to wit First the infinit goodness of God and Christs merits And what Soul can fear having so gracious a God and so great a Ransome 2. The Credit and Compassion of the Blessed Virgin and the Prayers and Patronage of Saints and Angels who being secure for themselves are solicitous for us 3. The testimony and sweet promises of holy Scriptures For how often hath God told us I am prone to pitty I am ready to receive sinners I will help them who doe their endeavours If therefore he denys not his mercy to them that seek it and they seek it who doe what lys in them let us bee confident he will not deny us his mercy He also frequently calls on us Turn to me and I will turn to you Now he cannot but say truth aad fulfill his promise and doth not that soul convert her self to God who doth her best to get his grace and be reconciled unto him Who then can choose but be of good Comfort if he be of good Will By this Doctrine and these prescribed Remedâ—es it appears that the only way to overcome Scruples is 1. To obey our Spirituall Director 2. To doe our best endeavour But here arise two difficulties in this easy lesson The first is If our Directoâ—â— The first difficulty knowledge be small his experience lesse and his conscience not very good how dare we trust our souls upon his Warrant Gerson answers Thou wiâ—e Gerson's answer Judger I say thou errest and aâ—â— deceived for thou hast not committed thy self and thy soul to a man because of his discretion and learning but to God himself and for his love thou obeyest man because he is by him ordained thy Prelat and Superior Therefore our obedience wil be oftentimes so much more pleasing to God and profitable to our souls by how much more infirm and unworthy he is whom we refuse not to obey for Gods sake The other difficulty is If wee The second difficulty cannot satisfy our selves that wee doe our best Endeavours nor know that we have performed our duty S. Thomas answers We must St. Thomas answer first remove that which hinders grace to wit Sin 2. We must convert our hearts from creatures to our Creator In a word we must detest Sin and choose God and follow his ordinary means appointed in his Church for our direction and this is the Summary of our duty The 22. Doubt If we fear we detest not Sin sufficiently because we feel not so great sorrow for the offence of God as we doe sometimes for a temporall losse LEt us assure our selves First We can never have so much sorrow for our Sins as Gods justice in rigour requires 2. God doth not exact it of us because it is not in our power 3. True sorrow consists not in feeling but in Reason and Freewill 4. It is better to have sorrow sometimes only in desire than feeling 5. It is not necessary this corporall or sensible grief be so great for spirituall as for temporall loss but it sufficeth to use humane and morall diligence with firm purpose of a voiding Sin 6. It ls dangerous to make such comparisons and reflexions for weak and fearfull Consciences as If such a thing should happen what should I doe Should I rather chuse death than such a Sin and the like I say there is no obligation to make such acts The 23. Doubt If we cannot ground our selves in a firm Hope of mercy for that we are so frail and inconstant We sin daily and amend not our lives We receive Gods blessings and repay ill for good Wee promise protest and vow fidelity and practise nothing lesse TEll me afflicted Souls Should you see Christ dye daily for your daily sins would you despair of mercy Even so efficacious is his former death If you fall hourely rise again couragiously and purpose to stand more constantly and fear nothing but draw Humility out of your Frailty saying Whereof am I proud now Where are my strong Resolutions Why doe I judge others Who is so feeble sickle frail as I am O Lord this is the Worm that is so proud Then cast â—ll into Christs sacred wounds and leaving all there go on with as much quiet and Confidence as if you had not sinned The 24. Doubt If we go not on w th alacrity because we know not that our Sins are forgiven that our Confessions are good and that we are in state of Grace WE must take notice that in seeking these assurances we may oftentimes directly lose them 1. In seeking them too eagerly and unquietly 2. In being self-lovers and unwilling to be troubled 3. In being ignorant of what we are bound to know for it seems we conceive those works nothing worth which are performed without gust content satisfaction to our selves and quiet The way then is briefly this 1. To seek true peace 2. In God 3. From his mercy not our own industry 4. To be resigned to want peace if he please 5. To omit nothing we would or should do by reason of the trouble we feel The 25. Doubt Though we cannot in this life assure our selves infallibly to be in good estate yet if we could comfort our selves with most probable tokens of grace whereby we might feel the pulses of our hearts and somewhat ease our anguish SAint Thomas and S. Bernard assigne 4. Signs of a good conscience out of S. Tho. and Bernard these four signes of a good conscience 1. To feel a ready Willingness in our hearts to hear Gods word and to learn the means to love and serve him 2. To feel a Forwardness to do good Works 3. To feel a hearty Sorrow for the offence of God 4. To feel a firm Purpose to avoid all Sin Gerson adds a fifth Who so can A â— out of Gerson To pronounce these three verities pronounce heartily and sincerely these three Verities though he had committed all sins and should be prevented with sodain death let him secure himself he is in state of Grace The first Verity O Lord If in Oh! that we would often recite these three truths especially when we feel our consciences burthened What infinite profit and comfort would redound to our souls this or that I have sinned against thy goodness it truly displeases and grieves me and I am ready to do penance for it because I have offended thee who art worthy of all honor and have transgressed thy Law and Will which is most holy just and reasonable The second Verity O Lord I have a good purpose and desire by thy grace to take heed I fall not into sin again and to avoid to my power the occasions thereof and to mortify my passions and bad
thy self and more in God and with a new-enkindled zeale and greater courage than before wilt follow thy begun enterprize to get the victory in this spirituall warfare and pursue thy enemies even to death 6. And would to God these A necessary caveat for all spiritual people truthes were diligently div'd into by some who seeme to bee spirituall and yet they no sooner fall into defects but they presently become impatient and cannot be quieted till they have recourse to their ghostly Father rather for their own solace than for any true devotion when as the prime motive of their comming to him should be to purge their soules from sin by absolution and to obtaine new strength against their enemies by the sacred Communion EXPLICATION AS we can promise to our selves By God's assistance we can do all things nothing but faylings fallings because we are of our selves nothing so also we may certainly promise to our selves from our God an intire victory over all our enemies if we arm our hearts with a lively confidence in his divine Majesty But Wherein many are deceived many deceive themselves in supposing that the pusillanimity and disquiet following their fall is an effect of virtue because it is accompanied with a displeasure for their offence when as indeed it springs from pride and presumption and is founded in selfe-confidence and conceit of their own strength to which they too By reason of their pride and presumption in their owne strength much trusting find by the wofull experience of their fall that they are truly weak and really nothing and thereupon they become troubled astonished as at a new thing and so lose their courage seeing that prop which sustained their vain confidence fallen down to the ground But this befalls not them who are truly humble For they confiding in God alone nothing presuming of themselves when they chance to fall into any fault feele indeed a true grief in their souls but are neither disquieted nor astonished seeing clearly by the light of truth that this proceeds from their own misery frailty and presumption CHAP. IV. Of continuall exercise and first that the Vnderstanding is carefully to be kept from Ignorance and from Curiosity IT hath been hitherto declared The third spirituall weapon is continuall exercise how much this Distrust of our selves and trust in Gods goodnesse help us on in our spirituall conflict But they alone are yet insufficient to gain the victory and keep us from relapses and therefore besides these two a third weapon is necessary which we above tearmed Continuall Exercise and this chiefly consists in the rectified use of our Understanding Which consists in the right use of the understanding and Will 2. First therefore the Understanding is to be carefully kept from two great evils Ignorance and Curiosity From Ignorance that it may bee pure and cleare and so we may The understanding is to be kept from Ignorance see what is necessary for the taming of our passions and overcomming of our affections 3. And this light may be obtained two manner of wayes First and chiefly by earnest Prayer invoking First by prayer and imploring God's holy Spirit to infuse this light into thy soule Secondly Secondly by a diligent search into our owne actions by daily practice of a profound and accurate search into all thine own actions and affairs not only as they appeare outwardly but rather as they are truly in themselves Doe but make tryall of this exercise for a time and thou wilt come easily to understand what things and actions are good and what are evill as also what are truly good and what are onely in shew promising much by their outward splendour but performing indeed nothing nor any way conducing to the quiet of thy conscience EXPLICATION THis point which is to estimate This search into all things according to their true worth will open our eyes to see the meanesse of all worldly vanities all things according to their true and reall worth and goodnesse being well practised will open our eyes to see the poornesse of all such toys which worldlings most desire and delight in It will shew us that earthly honours and pleasures are meer vanities and afflictions of spirit That injuries infamies and affronts patiently suffered are the harbingers of true happinesse and glory That afflictions are indeed freindships and that seeming crosses are followed with certain contentments That to despise the world is better than to be master of it and that to be willingly obedient for the love of God to the meanest creature is a more magnanimous action and the signe of a more generous spirit than to command the greatest Kings That the humble ackowledgment of our own nothing is more acceptable to the divine Majesty than to dive into the height and depth of all sciences That to quel and conquer our owne appetites and imperfections though they be never so small merits more praise than to force the strongest holds than to triumph over the greatest armies than to worke the greatest miracles or raise the dead out of their graves All which things and others of like nature are not sincerely discerned by us because before we enter into our selves to weigh them well as we ought and as they truly are we permit our fancy to be prevented prepossessed and surprized with some sensuall affection towards them which so darkens and dimms our understandings that they are rendred uncapable to judge of those objects rightly and impartially as they should and they truly deserve 4. Wherefore give an attentive Text. A necessary caveat to keep the will from fixing it's love care ô dearly beloved to what I shall now tell thee for it will much further thee to fight successefully The means to know the true nature and properties of all things which occurre in thy daily transactions is by taking speciall care to keep thy Will pure and free from all motion of love and affection which looke not directly upon God himself or upon the means leading unto him For to the end thy Vnderstanding may rightly distinguish good from evill it must first consider it before thy Will hath made it's election or Untill the Understanding have first pondered the object reprobation of it because when the Will hath fastned once it's affection upon the object the Vnderstanding is hindred from comming to a true knowledg thereof by reason that the consent of the Will intervening leaves it so involved and obscured that it appeares farre fairer to the Vnderstanding than it is in it self And hence it happens that the object being thus falsly represented to the Will becomes too too passionately beloved and embraced without the due enquiry of its reall goodnesse And by how much the desire or love of the Will is more vehement by so much the Vnderstanding is more grosly clowded in its judgement and being so deceived invites the Will to a◠encrease of